A Life Worth Saving
by artisinthecreationofsubtext
Summary: 'The man's face was impossible to see, but the message he was passing to me was clear. "She is your responsibility now, and yours alone. We'll see what the fates have in store for you."' Next Generation.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **__None of it's mine, it all belongs to JK Rowling. All except for the plot, which is mine._

Prologue

_I tried to keep my mouth shut, I swear I did, just like mummy told me to. It was so dark though... and just so cold. And the monsters, they were coming, and they were getting closer and closer and closer and they were filling my mind and my conscious and blocking out the goodness from the world..._

The alarm rang at the same time it always did – half past six – but I was already half awake. The duvet was somewhere across the room, balled up in a corner from my urgent movements during the night. My body was covered with a thin sheen of cool sweat that was making me shiver.

Below me, in the kitchen, I could hear my mother bustling about making breakfast for me and my father. It would be an extravagant one, a filling one, as always on the first day back at school after summer. She would serve it to us at seven, and then hustle us both to pack our bags perfectly. She would not find any problems with mine this year, but my father's... that's another matter completely. He was never as prepared as I.

I shook off the lingering terror of the night before so that I could move, and showered before helping mum in the kitchen. Soon enough we were in the car and my mother was sobbing quietly in the back seat. Father and I exchanged a look.

"Mum, calm down. It's only a few months and I'll see you again – only sixteen weeks until Christmas!"

"I know Rosie, it's just that..."

"Come on, 'Mione, you know we'll both be fine. And you've got plenty to occupy yourself with, what with that new book and everything."

Hermione Granger sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, but-"

"You can visit me on Hogsmeade days, you know. And I'm a prefect, so I get them more often than usual."

"And I'll be flying in on weekends when we don't have a match."

Mum began to fiddle impatiently with her wand, a general warning sign. "It's not about that, you two."

"What is it then, Mum?" I said, curious.

"I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **__It's not mine, none of it is mine. It's all JK Rowlings. Well, the plot was mine. That's all._

**Chapter One**

It was a girl in the end. A beautiful baby girl. Hugo went mental when he finally found out – it was that Christmas. The look on his face when he entered the kitchen to see Mum all knocked up and massive... I would pay good money to see that again. It probably didn't help matters that Scorpius came in straight after him with his usual tact: spouting off about how he _just knew it_ and he'd _found the cutest little shawl in Hogsmeade that Halloween_. It was Hugo's own fault though, if he would insist on spending the last week of the holidays at the Potters', this is the price he would have to pay.

Her name was Saphron. Mother had wailed it out in her hospital bed, stroking the blood off of her head. Later she told us that it meant 'wise', and it was her little prophecy for the girl. "Like mother, like daughter," Dad had announced with glee, skipping around the waiting room in a disturbingly camp gesture that had Albus questioning how he had managed to have three kids. She was born in March 2024, just before Hogwarts broke up for the Easter. It came early that year.

It was an omen, I suppose, that my owl escaped the day before and still hadn't returned. They say owls are faithful to the death, and that Kaleb was; but still my beautiful night-black bird disappeared and there had still been no sign of him at the station.

Ron greeted us looking ruffled and forlorn. The bags under his eyes matched our trunks for weight. His greeting was half-hearted. "She doesn't _shut up_." He muttered in way of explanation, guiding us towards the exit and not bothering to acknowledge the smiling and waving of the other parents. "I have work stress and home stress and Ord- _just stress all around_."

Mum waited in the car, in the back seat as usual, cradling Saphron in her arms. She looked only a little perkier than Dad, and Hugo and I exchanged looks. "Hello," I murmured as I opened the door, but even that earned me two looks of daggers and a wailing from the bundle. Mum shushed me violently, shaking the baby in a way that seemed unsuitable for something of the child's fragility. The look on her face kept me quiet though, and I kept to myself for the navigation of Kings Cross station.

"I told you we should've gotten a taxi." Mum snapped after a while, uncharacteristically kicking Dad's chair.

He snorted. "What, you think muggles are better drivers than me, do you?"

"I'm sure that's not what she meant..." Hugo bravely waded in in Mum's defence.

"Yes it is. She thinks muggles are better than me at everything."

"Well to be fair, Dad, muggles are better at _magic_ than you." I said with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

It wasn't going to happen, it only seemed to provoke him further. "Oh yes? Well I raised you and I suppose you turned out alright didn't you."

"Don't take it out on the kids, Ronald Weasley." Mum kicked his chair fiercely again, causing Hugo to shrink away.

"Why shouldn't I, Hermione? It's their own faults for being disrespectful. No, I suppose it's yours, actually. How are they supposed to learn respect if they're not taught it?"

Mother's angry gasp was audible throughout the car as we exited onto the main road. The traffic was fast moving but the streets were still congested and I panicked a little. I almost took my wand out when I saw how Mum was handling the baby, though. Dad had mentioned some problems they'd been having in his letters, but nothing to this extent. Mother looked downright deranged as she whipped the child back and forth in her arms completely ignorant of the high pitched keening she was emitting.

"Mum, can I hold Saphron for a bit, please?" I asked lightly, breaking through her garbled reply to my father. Her eyes rested on me for a mere second and what I saw there was frightening, like I'd snuck up on her with a knife. She yanked the little girl to her chest, almost smothering it, and screamed. "No, mum, calm down!" I fought over the sound of her fear while my dad fought to keep control of the car.

"I wouldn't bother, Rosie. She hasn't let go of that damn thing since it left her. Hasn't even picked up her wand, she's scared of magical radiation or something. She's going to raise it a _squib_!" The last word was followed by chaos from the back seat as we got onto the A1. Hugo wrestled the poor child from her arms and handed it to me as mother attacked him, scratching and biting and writhing against her seatbelt. I shushed the poor child with great effort against mother's out of control sobbing, and tried to channel all of my energy into keeping the car from veering out of it's lane. But then _it _happened.

Mum seemed to calm, falling quiet and settling against her seat. After a moment of silence, Hugo let go of her wrists, his eyes watching her with a calm, solid determination I had never before seen in him. His wand was held in his hand, a firm grip, but I could hear the tapping of his feet that betrayed his anxiety. It slowed, however, as we travelled ten minutes without a sound. Dad's breathing was laboured, as was my own and as was Hugo's. Mum stayed silent, barely moving, watching me handle my little sister with thinly veiled suspicion. We relaxed; my father rolled down his window and the three of us enjoyed the dancing breeze across our faces. His foot inched forward on the accelerator pedal and the needle clicked over fifty miles per hour. Hugo started to fiddle with his wand. But still noone spoke.

Saphron closed her eyes and began to slumber. Mum watched it as I subtly watched her, and then finally, she held out her hands. "Rose." Her voice was choked. I didn't move. "Rosie..." Hugo twitched, the pleading sound of my mother's voice near-defeating him, but I willed him to stay strong. Dad kept his eyes on the road. "Rosie, let me see her."

"Mum..."

"Please..."

"I don't think that's the best-"

It was Dad. It was Dad that did it. You could see her flip. Her arms shot forward, faster than any of us could catch, and with the ease that came with motherhood and auror training she snapped his neck. I screamed as he fell forward and the car swerved towards the edge of the road where an imposing brick wall stood. Hugo cried out helplessly as mum started writhing again, her eyes full of unbridled insanity. It was chaos, and the only thing keeping me grounded as the car flew into the wall and crushed the safe zone into my chest was the weight I curled around instinctively to protect.

_**A/N: did you like it? It was a bit rushed because I was juggling this and my other story, but I swear I'll spend longer on the next one, because it's where the story **_**really **_**begins. Reviews are appreciated because they're good inspiration and help guide me to what I should do with the story. Thank you those who add me to their alerts.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: **__It's not mine, none of it is mine. It's all JK Rowlings. Well, the plot was mine. That's all._

**Chapter Two**

I woke with a fright, the events of the day before flashing immediately back into my mind. I slapped a hand to my forehead before groaning as the shooting pains reminded me that, _hey, infact, pain isn't the cure to a headache._ Dropping back into my hospital bed, I – wait, no.

In fact, I wasn't in a hospital bed. I was laid on the plush red duvet that covered an expensive looking mahogany bed. The pillows felt like compilations of feathers and the mattress had me floating. It was a strange experience.

A million questions popped into my head (I say popped, more like fought their way through a single doorway) and the one at the forefront of my mind demanded I find out _where the hell I was_. Even if the day before had been a terrible dream, I would still be at Hogwarts, curled up in my Gryffindor dorm room. I kicked my feet free and pulled myself to my feet to find that I was still wearing the dirt-encrusted garments I'd ridden home in. Not a dream, then.

The door to the room, a light pine thing that looked stupidly fragile, was propped open into a small corridor. Suddenly I felt exposed. My wand was missing. It seemed stupid, but now I knew I wouldn't leave this room. The place was unfamiliar - a blatant threat – and even I wouldn't risk that. And the door was open... because they knew. I wasn't anything to them, they were probably going about their private business as if I wasn't there.

The open door was mocking me, but I backed up to the bed. Sat back down on it. I couldn't be more defeated if they'd locked me up; at least then I'd fight. I'd feel like a hazard to them. I was no menace now... I was nothing. And there was little to do, but to wait.

As it turned out, there wasn't long to wait. Within what I estimated to be about an hour a prim woman appeared in the doorway carrying a bundle of cloth.

"Good, you're awake." She said in a voice that was too monotonous to hold an accent. "I trust you're feeling well enough today, Ms Weasley?"

Her relaxed use of my name shook me for a moment, and the thought struck me how much she reminded me of some of the less popular teachers at school. "Excuse me?"

"Your sleep, it wasn't troubling? I had been warned that you might suffer from night terrors, and after yesterday's performance..."

"Yesterday's performance?"

She crossed the threshold with a disconcerting ease – if it had been me, I would probably have held the air of a cow in a safari. Which is similar to how I actually did feel upon seeing the woman's wand tucked easily into the belt of her muggle skirt. The pile of cloth was dumped unceremoniously in front of me. "All in good time, Ms Weasley. If you are feeling up to it, today will be a day you remember for a long time coming." Smiling didn't suit her, it creased her face painfully and slitted her eyes until she resembled a basilisk.

"Where are my family?" I flinched away from the witch, who had taken to flitting around the room as if she were performing some sort of inspection. She ran a finger over a poster I had not noticed before. It was muggle. Some curly haired man in an overcoat. They came away dusty, I could tell from the disapproving snort she uttered. "Who are you?" Her head barely angled back towards me but I could feel her glare.

"Where am I?" I took one final chance before I gave up.

"Get dressed, and we'll find out." The door shut behind her, and finally I was allowed some fraction of privacy.

The clothes were my own, a pair of jeans and a black shirt I'd had in my trunk. Once I was dressed the woman appeared again. She was so punctual I began to doubt the innocence of the faded posters someone had left on the walls – Jack White received a suspicious glare or two.

The woman, who still refused to give me her name, led me down several corridors until we met a spacious drawing room. She indicated that I should take a seat at the huge table, and disappeared again. I chose a seat at the very end of the room, close to a door that I hoped would serve as an emergency exit. If only I could escape from here, I could easily get a new wand, and then I could set about finding Mum and Dad. If I could find them.

I mentally set about compiling a list of questions I could demand the woman to answer when she returned.

_In a room, not quite so far from where Rose had sat herself, a young woman reclined to listen to her housekeeper's report. In her arms lay a baby; little Saphron Weasley; and she contemplated the effort it had taken to bring her here today. If only the other girl had just _died _as planned, she would not have been put through all of this trouble. Until here the plan had taken off without a hitch – the birthing problems had successfully triggered the mother's hormonal issues, the nurses had been certain of that, and the mother's barely-contained, pill-controlled insanity had done the rest of the job for her._

If only the girl had just died.

_But she hadn't of course – blame Murphy's Law; the cooing woman informed the baby. Anything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong._

"_Why not just kill the girl, Ma'am?" Her housekeeper suggested. "It would be easy. She almost did it herself yesterday, you saw the state of her. We could make it look like suicide."_

_The young lady rolled her eyes at her faithful servant's naivete. "Too suspicious. And you know that these days the Aurors jump on anything even the slightest bit suspicious. We'd have them crawling all over us in days, and that would be detrimental to our plan." A sigh bubbled up from deep inside her. "We'll fix it somehow. If only that blasted Zabini boy had waited a few years to bring his ignorant dreams to fruition, we'd be long gone."_

"_We can't just blame him..."_

"_Never the less, he shall pay for his part." She placed the squabbling child into it's crib, her blonde locks tickling her nose and making her sneeze and chuckle breathily. The womens' faces softened. "I shall dine with her, and ponder our options once I know her better." Her voice transformed into silk, washing over her housekeeper pleasantly. "Bring us breakfast."_

"_It's noon-"_

_Tutting, she shook her head. "Keep them confused, Tee, keep them confused."_

_Tee smiled, her monotone cracking. "Wise, very wise."_

"_Thanks, I got it from you." She wandered over to the doorway and paused to run her hand over a crystal ball she had set on a table next to the cot. The clouds inside swirled and shifted, but did not take shape. She cursed under her breath, and slammed the door._

_Tee frowned, glanced at the child, and back at the door. Biting her lip, she clicked her fingers at an empty frame. An elderly woman appeared, clothed in floating wisps of highly decorative fabric and wearing glasses that magnified her eyes to three times their normal size. Her headscarf held back what Tee knew was a mass of unruly curls._

"_Follow her, won't you, Sybill?" The portrait smirked an ethereal smile that glinted with the menace it had learned during it's life in this house, before disappearing. Tee collapsed into the chair her mistress had deserted and went back to watching the child. "You're more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me." She confided._

_The baby smiled at her, responding with nothing but a gurgle._

"_Useful." Tee groaned._

_**Author's Note: **__**Exams mean I'm a little writers blocked right now, so for a while it's probably going to be one update a week. But I'll work extra hard after that, promise! **_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: This isn't mine! It's JK's! I only own the plot into which I place her characters!_

_A/N: What is this I see? An update?! Of a decent size! It can't be! Sorry for the wait, guys. It's been too long! Promises that I won't take this long again! I hope it's worth it... fingers crossed! Enjoy_

In fact, it wasn't the woman who joined me. It was a prim looking man all trussed up in a suit and tie. He looked much more nervous than she had, though, and didn't come too close to me. He attempted to smile, but appeared to decide against it halfway through. "Miss Weasley, I believe." He said, half extending his arm to me. I touched his hand in something that barely resembled a handshake. "Thank you. I know you're scared, Rose. I'm not going to harm you. I'm just here to ask you a few questions."

"You're here to _ask _me questions?!" I was incensed. "Well maybe I have a few of my own! Maybe, I won't answer yours until you answer mine."

He smiled with something that looked a little like – was that pride? It was natural, whatever it was, crinkling his eyes. I could hear a laugh in his voice. "If it was up to me, you'd get your answers. But I'm under orders. And those orders include asking you questions."

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you're not going to answer them. That's all very well, but the boss says if you don't answer them, I'm to stay here until you do. And I'm not very good company. Trust me." He must have seen something in me, for he sighed and his playful manner left. "Basically, the boss wants to know some very specific things. After that, you get food, and answers. And I know you want them. So play along, okay?"

"No." I shook my head. My voice felt strong. He sighed, and reclined.

"Tobey, this is not what I sent you to do!" A soft, almost welcoming voice drifted in. "The poor girl looks terrified!" Was it showing? I looked at the door. The intruder was a richly dressed woman with dirty blonde hair. Her face was soft and trustworthy, but something in her eyes scared me. The day was just getting better and better. On the upside, I vaguely recognised this one. "Leave us, dearest." She moved towards us, her gait perky. She was almost skipping. Tobey stood and was out of the door in a second. The woman took his seat immediately and leaned towards me. "Sorry about those two. They're most dramatic when we have visitors."

A waiter entered the room with two trays, one covered with breakfast foods and the other fruit. The woman took a grape and popped it into her mouth, and the waiter left. The food looked suspiciously delicious, but I focused on the lady, who was relishing her food. "Grape?" She offered me the tray, but I shook my head. She shrugged. "Oh well, more for me."

"Who are you?"

"Now, now. We'll get to that. First, who are you?"

I was taken aback. "You know who I am."

She laughed. It was pretty. I didn't trust it. "I don't. You appear to be Rose Weasley, but I don't trust that. The Rosie I knew wouldn't be this stubborn. She was like her father, not her mother."

I lifted my chin. "And what? My mother is perfectly respectable."

"I know. I went to school with her, you know. You've changed, nonetheless. When you were young, you couldn't tell you and your father apart."

"Tobey said you had questions." She'd moved onto toast.

Nibbling on it delicately, she leant back. "Yes, I do. Like, what are your plans for the future?"

"To become an Auror. I want to take after my parents."

"I could make that happen for you. You could be the next Shacklebolt if you wished."

I was offended, and moved away from her. The closeness was irritating. "I can make that happen myself."

"Not if I didn't wish it, dear. Not if I didn't wish it to."

And there it was. That tiny threat was all I needed. It showed her for who she was.

"What do you want?" I asked. My voice was small and my guards were up.

"It's quite simple, really. I want Saphron."

* * *

I was back in that room. She didn't like my response, apparently. Mind you, no one likes having tables thrown on them. Not like she didn't deserve it.

The woman who was waiting on me was known as Tee. She was the crazy woman's assistant, or something, and Tobey was the orphan son of Tee's old Divination professor. She'd come in to see me when I got sent back to my room, and pitied me so much that she'd ended up sat with me for a bit to give me some answers. She'd told me that Saphron was safe, but my mother was dead and so was Hugo. The funeral was that Sunday, at Hogwarts, as it had always been their home. Tee was hoping that we could have this wrapped by then, so that I could say my final farewells.

She'd also said that I'd been here for four days now. I had a rough few nights, but they'd calmed me with potions. Her boss was ridiculously good with potions, apparently. It was scary. Even Tee was a little freaked, you could tell. There were times when she was just downright desperate.

"Give her the girl. What harm will it do? I'll send for her now, and you can say yes, and then this will all be over. You'll get your wand and I can take you to Hogwarts and you can stay with Minerva. It's easy. Everyone thinks she's dead anyway. Rose, please. You don't understand."

I turned away from her, facing the wall. I was tired, and I was confused, and I wanted my parents. More now than ever before. After some time, Tee left, but I continued to study the wallpaper. What was the use? If Saphron was dead to the world… wasn't I?


End file.
